Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM’s address during flagging off Vande Bharat Express connecting Ajmer and Delhi Cantt
Namaskar, Governor of Rajasthan Shri Kalraj Mishra ji, Chief Minister of Rajasthan and my friend Shri Ashok Gehlot ji, Railway Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw ji, Ministers of Rajasthan Government, Leaders of Opposition in Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council, all MPs, MLAs sitting on the stage, other dignitaries, and my dear brothers and sisters of Rajasthan,
The land of Rajasthan, which worships Maa Bharti, is getting its first Vande Bharat train today. With the Delhi Cantt-Ajmer Vande Bharat Express, the commute between Jaipur and Delhi will become easier. This train will also help the tourism industry of Rajasthan a lot. Whether it is Pushkar or Ajmer Sharif, it will be easier for the devotees to reach many such important places of faith.
Brothers and sisters,
In the last two months, this is the sixth Vande Bharat Express which I have had the privilege of flagging off. After Mumbai-Solapur Vande Bharat Express, Mumbai-Shirdi Vande Bharat Express, Rani Kamalapati-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat Express, Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express, Chennai-Coimbatore Vande Bharat Express, it is now Jaipur-Delhi Vande Bharat Express which is starting today. Ever since the introduction of these modern trains, nearly 60 lakh people have travelled in these trains. The biggest feature of high speed Vande Bharat is that it saves people's time. According to a study, people traveling on one Vande Bharat train save about 2500 hours on each trip. These 2500 hours saved in the journey are becoming available to the people for other works. From manufacturing prowess to guaranteed safety, from high speed to elegant design, Vande Bharat is blessed with many advantages. In the light of all these merits, Vande Bharat train is becoming popular across the country. Vande Bharat has in a way made many new beginnings. Vande Bharat is the first semi-high speed train which is Made in India. Vande Bharat is the first such train which is so compact and efficient. Vande Bharat is the first train to be fitted with the indigenous safety system Kavach. Vande Bharat is the first train in the history of Indian Railways which completed the high climb of Sahyadri Ghats without an additional engine. Vande Bharat Express enriches the spirit of ‘India's First, Always First’! I am happy that the Vande Bharat train has today become synonymous with development, modernity, stability and self-reliance. Today's journey of Vande Bharat will take us towards the journey of developed India tomorrow. I congratulate the people of Rajasthan for the Vande Bharat train.
Friends,
It is the misfortune of our country that an important system like Railways, which is such an important part in the life of a common man, was also made an arena of politics. India had got a large railway network after independence. But the modernization of Railways has always been dominated by political interests. Political interest weighed heavily on the choice of the person becoming the railway minister. The decision to run trains from stations was also politically motivated. New trains used to be announced in the budget due to political considerations, but they never ran. The situation was such that there was politics in railway recruitments and corruption was rampant. The situation was such that the land of the poor people was grabbed in the garb of jobs in the railways. Thousands of unmanned level crossings in the country were also left unattended. Everything was ignored from railway safety to railway cleanliness and railway platform cleanliness. The situation changed for the better only after 2014. When the people of the country formed a stable government with full majority, when the pressure of political bargaining was eased out from the government, then the Railways also heaved a sigh of relief and chugged to achieve new heights. Today, every Indian is proud to see the transformation of the Indian Railways.
Brothers and sisters,
The people of Rajasthan have always showered us with their bountiful blessings. Today, our government is making this land of heroes a land of new possibilities and new opportunities. Rajasthan is one of the top tourist destinations in the country. It is very important that the time of the tourists visiting Rajasthan is saved and they get maximum facilities. Connectivity plays an important role in this regard. It has to be admitted that the initiatives of the Central Government regarding the connectivity in Rajasthan in the last few years have been unprecedented. In February itself, I got the opportunity to visit Dausa for the inauguration of the Delhi-Dausa-Lalsot section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Apart from Dausa, this expressway will greatly benefit the people of Alwar, Bharatpur, Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, Bundi and Kota districts. The Central Government is also working on about 1400 km of roads in the border areas of Rajasthan. At present, there is a proposal to construct about 1,000 kilometers of more roads in Rajasthan.
Friends,
Our government is according top priority to road as well as rail connectivity in Rajasthan. Work has already begun on the construction of a new railway line from Taranga Hill to Abu Road via Ambaji. The demand for this rail line is more than 100 years old, which is now being fulfilled by the BJP government. We have also completed the work of converting the rail line between Udaipur to Ahmedabad into broad gauge. As a result, the Mewar region has been connected to Gujarat and other parts of the country by broad gauge. Electrification of about 75 percent of Rajasthan's network has been completed in the last nine years. Ashwini ji just explained in detail that there has been an increase of more than 14 times in the rail budget of Rajasthan compared to what it was before 2014. There has been a 14 times increase in the budget between then and now. Before 2014, where the average railway budget for Rajasthan was around 700 crore rupees, it is more than 9500 crore rupees this year. During this period, the doubling of railway lines has also more than doubled. The work of gauge conversion and doubling of railways done in the past years has greatly benefited the tribal areas of Rajasthan. Rail facilities have expanded in Dungarpur, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Pali and Sirohi districts. Along with the railway lines, the railway stations of Rajasthan are also being transformed. Dozens of railway stations in Rajasthan are being developed under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Friends,
Keeping in mind the convenience of the tourists, the government is also running different types of circuit trains. Bharat Gaurav Circuit train has made more than 70 trips so far. More than 15,000 passengers have travelled in these trains. Bharat Gaurav Circuit trains are being run today for many such places, be it Ayodhya-Kashi, the pilgrimage centres in South, Dwarka ji, or the pilgrimage sites of the Gurus of the Sikh community. We often see the positive feedback from these passengers and the appreciation for these trains on social media. These trains are also strengthening the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’.
Friends,
Over the years, Indian Railways has made another effort which has also helped in making the local products of Rajasthan available across the country. This is ‘One Station One Product’ campaign. Indian Railways has set up around 70 ‘One Station One Product’ stalls in Rajasthan. Jaipuri quilts, Sanganeri block print bed sheets, products made of rose and other handicrafts are being sold in these stalls. That is, the small farmers, artisans and handicrafts of Rajasthan have got this new medium to access the market. This is everyone's participation in development, that is, everyone's effort for development. When the infrastructure of connectivity like rail is strengthened, then the country becomes strong. This benefits the common citizen, the poor and middle class of the country. I am sure that the modern Vande Bharat train will play an important role in speeding up the development of Rajasthan. And I especially express my gratitude to Gehlot ji that these days he is going through many political crises. Despite that, he took out time for development work and took part in the railway programme. I welcome and congratulate him and I want to say this to Gehlot ji. Gehlotji, you have laddoos in each of your hands. The Railway Minister is from Rajasthan and the Chairman of the Railway Board is also from Rajasthan. Other works, which should have been done immediately after independence, have not been done yet, but you have so much faith in me that you have put forth all those projects before me today. Your trust is the strength of our friendship and I express my gratitude to you for the trust you place as a friend. Once again, I congratulate all of you and Rajasthan. Thank you very much!
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.